In this age of austerity and looming Financial Fair Play regulations, Italian clubs have spent the summer shedding their squads of expensive players in order to bring their finances into line.

Add to that the spectre of match-fixing casting an unfortunate shadow over the game yet again, there is a feeling the new campaign represents a fresh start for a number of clubs as they bid to put recent troubles behind them.

Defending champions Juventus are understandably 11/8 favourites to retain their trophy after going unbeaten throughout the whole of last season.

Juve’s 2011/12 title completed the renaissance of a side that had hit rock bottom just six years ago when relegated to Serie B following the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal.

A return of Champions League football is the main reason for Juve fans to get excited this season and crystallises their return to the top of the European game.

Transfers have been reasonably modest so far, with Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio Isla and Sebastian Giovinco expected to fill out the squad rather than be first-choice. Brazilian defender Lucio and former Manchester United star Paul Pogba are exciting talents, however, and should see more action.

The crowning glory to Juve’s summer shopping, though, will be a striker. The club are desperate for a big name to spearhead their European challenge with Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez, Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko the names regularly mentioned.

Add one or more of those to the squad and they will be difficult to dislodge at the top of the division.

Behind Juve, 18-times champions AC Milan are 2/1 second favourites for the title, but they, perhaps more than any other club, represent Italy’s efforts to comply with Financial Fair Play.

Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have been flogged to PSG, despite being key first-team players, while further departures have not been ruled out, with Robinho among those consistently linked with the move away.

Incomings, in contrast, have been sparse, with Kevin Constant a loan signing from Genoa and Bakaye Traore a free transfer. Riccardo Montolivo is, though, also a shrewd signing on a free from Fiorentina.

Boss Massimiliano Allegri will have to show all of his man-management skills to build a side shorn of his biggest stars but in contrast to Juve’s summer shopping, they look unlikely to challenge.

Milan’s city rivals Inter will dearly hope they have a better campaign than last, where they went through three managers, with Gian Piero Gasperini, Claudio Ranieri and finally Andrea Stramaccioni occupying the manager’s chair at the San Siro.

Stramaccioni managed to steady the ship during a troubled campaign, where they eventually finished sixth – significantly better that what was expected midway through the season.

Like Milan, the Nerazzurri are also clearing out their experienced players, with Lucio, Ivan Cordoba Goran Pandev and Diego Forlan all departing. Dejan Stankovic and Julio Cesar are expected to follow, while Douglas Maicon, Wesley Sneijder and Giampaolo Pazzini have also all been linked with a move away.

However, while Milan have limited themselves in the transfer market to date, Inter appear to have been shrewd in their dealings, with highly-rated goalkeeper Samir Handanovic joining from Udinese and Matias Silvestre arriving from Palermo. Rodrigo Palacio should also add goals to a side that struggled to find the net last season.

Roma (14/1) and Napoli (20/1) should be considered rank outsiders for next seasons’ title, though the latter could be a handy each-way beat to snatch the runners-up spot.

It is Juve, then, who look the team to beat next year again. The Old Lady appear determined to rediscover past glories after a traumatic few seasons and exert their dominance both at home and in Europe.

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Rangers defied the odds last season when they took advantage of a late slip from Neil Lennon’s Celtic at Inverness to keep their cool and add the SPL crown to their Co-op Insurance Cup success.

The Hoops, who had to settle for the Scottish Cup, are again title favourites with Totesport (4/5 Outright) and are in determined mood going into this new season as they have also bolstered their ranks with the arrivals of Kelvin Wilson, Adam Matthews and Victor Wanyama.

Lennon, who boosted the club by agreeing to stay on as manager despite several threats against his security throughout the course of last season, is also attempting to bring in a new goalkeeper to replace Fraser Forster, with Croatia internationalist Stipe Pletikosa aiming to win a contract.

South Africa striker Katlego Mphela is also expected for a trial next week which has left Kris Commons in a confident mood as they bid to take the league title to the green and white side of Glasgow.

Commons, who impressed greatly after joining the Hoops from Derby in January, said: “Competition for places has never been so strong, especially across then midfield and back four.

“It keeps us as hungry as possible and hopefully good things will happen this year.”

Lennon has stressed the importance of Celtic doing well in Europe this time around as he feels it is “important for my development as a coach and the players’ development”.

But he is making no secret of the fact that it is his ultimate goal to prevent rival Ally McCoist getting his hands on the SPL trophy in his first season as manager after taking over from Walter Smith at Ibrox.

“I really need to win the title this year – that’s the priority,” Lennon admitted ahead of Sunday’s opener at Hibernian (Hibs 13/2, Celtic 2/5, Draw 11/4 90 Minutes).

“We came very close last season but we have only ourselves to blame for not doing it. I’m hoping we can go one better this season.”

Ironically, there is slightly more pressure on McCoist to retain the SPL title for the Gers (Evens Outright) than there was on his predecessor Walter Smith as businessman Craig Whyte arrived late last season and is willing to plough some much-needed funds into the club for new faces.

But McCoist has found his team strengthening mission harder to push through than Lennon with Spaniard Juan Manuel Ortiz the only addition to the Ibrox squad so far.

The former Rangers forward is battling to bring striker Kenny Miller back to the club from Turkish side Bursaspor, while a deal which would see defender Carlos Cuellar return after a three-year spell away at Aston Villa has also not yet materialised.

Should those deals go-ahead before the SPL curtain-raiser against Hearts (Rangers 3/10, Hearts 7/1, Draw 7/2 90 Minutes) at Ibrox this weekend, then you would have to fancy the Gers to be a good shout for more SPL success.

But, as it stands, midfielder Steven Davis, who has just signed a new five-year deal at the club to follow team-mates Allan McGregor and Steven Whittaker in penning new contracts, feels they are still short of numbers.

He admitted: “We’ve got quite a settled team from last season and a lot of us are on long-term deals now which is important.

“It’s just a case of adding to our group now as it’s a wee bit thin at the moment and it will be nice to get some fresh faces on board.”

So, at the moment it looks like Celtic marginally have the upper hand going into the season, but a lot depends on Rangers’ transfer activity before the end-of-August deadline before a clearer picture will emerge in another intriguing Old Firm title scrap.

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Before then we have eight weeks to weigh up whether our teams will win their opening matches, what will happen when they face the top sides and whether that last game will matter. With that in mind we look at all four professional leagues in England and give our early season predictions.

Premier League

It is tough to look beyond Manchester United after they managed to win the title last season without really breaking a sweat. While all other the sides around them stuttered Sir Alex Ferguson’s men kept their cool and broke Liverpool’s league record. With United looking to improve their options during the summer they should come back stronger than last season. United are the 13/8 favourites and might be worth backing now before the price comes in. The fixtures computer has been kind to Ferguson’s team as well, as they end the season with games against Swansea and Sunderland.

The usual contenders will be there or there abouts and the title fight could come down to the two Manchester clubs if City can continue to bring in the best players the world has to offer. Roberto Mancini’s men are 10/3, while last season’s runners up Chelsea are 5/2. Look beyond that and you get to Arsenal, who look to be a club in turmoil and without too much hope at this stage of the summer. They are priced at 7/1.

Championship

As always with the second tier of English football you could put a pin in a board and come up with a case for why the team you picked at random could go up. Your best bet here might to stay away from the outright market and look towards the promotion odds. West Ham lead the way in the promotion betting at 13/8 and it’s tough to see how Sam Allardyce won’t get them back up if he is allowed to do his job. They may not fly out of the blocks with all the changes that have taken place, but should come good given enough time and support. As for the other promoted clubs, Birmingham have big financial problems and it is unlikely lightening will strike twice at Blackpool.

Hull City might not be a bad outside bet to go up at 7/1. Nigel Pearson has been trying to put together his squad quickly and, having ended the season strongly, the Tigers could be the dark horses to shock the Championship again.

League One

Yorkshire should be the place to be for winners when it comes to League One, with Huddersfield Town the 5/1 outright favourites, Sheffield Wednesday 6/1 and Sheffield United 8/1. Most people would be surprised if at least one of those teams didn’t win the division given their history, although the Blades might find it tough given that this is the first time in a while they have been in the third tier. The Owls should get off to a flyer given their first three games are against Rochdale, Bournemouth and Bury, three clubs who shouldn’t do as well as last season. For an outside bet how about Exeter City – Paul Tisdale has been working his magic down in Devon for some time and they only just missed out on the play-offs by a point last season. The Grecians are 33/1.

League Two

As usual this division should be very close and again a pin in the board would probably pick you out a team you could make a case for.  Newly-promoted Crawley Town are the 10/3 favourites to win the league outright given the large amount of money they have to spend on new players. They might find the going a bit tougher than people are predicting though and Bristol Rovers (12/1) and Swindon Town (10/1) are two clubs who cannot be discounted. Based on their new recruits Oxford United (12/1) could also be ones to watch out for, Chris Wilder having acquitted himself and the club very well since their promotion in 2010.

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The Tractor Boys will be desperate for revenge after a 4-1 drubbing at Carrow Road earlier in the season. Paul Jewell has got Ipswich flying, could they be about to throw a giant spanner in the works for Norwich?

Not many would have picked Norwich to go up this year, given their recent financial struggles and the fact they only got out of League One last season. However, the Canaries are now evens to be promoted after a fantastic season.

Paul Lambert has worked wonders, developing Grant Holt into the goal-machine he has always threatened to be. The 30-year-old was given the recognition his season has deserved on Sunday, when he was included in the PFA Team of the Year. Ipswich know all about Holt’s power after he ripped their backline to shreds in the corresponding fixture, bagging a hat-trick on home soil.

The Canaries are not a one man team though, with Wes Hoolahan, Korey Smith and Chris Martin all catching the eye this season. Simeon Jackson has also come into his own recently after taking the place of Martin and might be worth a look to score anytime at 7/4, with Holt at 6/5.

Norwich’s fantastic season has been down in large part to their form away from home, losing just four times on their travels all season. They have also been able to dig deep when it counts, scoring 16 goals in the last ten minutes of matches.

Since Roy Keane’s disastrous reign was brought to an end, Ipswich have been on the march – winning nine of their 18 games since Jewell took over. Town are still in with a mathematical chance of reaching the play-offs, currently sitting six points outside the top six. While they would have to win all their remaining games, a victory over their local rivals could be just the tonic they need to go on a winning run.

Ipswich have won four of the last five, although it is their form away from Portman Road that has been more impressive than recent victories over perennial strugglers. The Tractor Boys revival has been spurred on by loan star Jimmy Bullard and 17-year-old Josh Carson, who has scored three goals in his last three appearances.

Thursday’s clash between two of the league’s in-form teams is probably one of the hardest to call of the Easter weekend Championship bonanza. For that reason, the safe bet seems to be the draw at 23/10.

Ipswich will be desperate to avoid being turned over again and Norwich would probably take a point, despite the tight nature of the race for the second automatic promotion spot. For those brave few who fancy one side to win outright, Norwich are 17/10 and Ipswich are 8/5.

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It has been a season of shocks so far and there are sure to be plenty more in another exciting weekend of football, with Stoke (5/2 to beat Manchester City) looking a decent bet to dent another team’s title hopes.

The Potters have won their last three top-flight games and have an excellent record at the Britannia Stadium, while Manchester City had won just once in five Premier League matches before last Sunday’s 4-1 hammering of Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Tony Pulis’ side have shown that there is more to them than just Rory Delap’s long throws and they are more than capable of beating a City side who have yet to gel as a unit and are there for the taking.

Newcastle have not won in three Premier League matches but have shown their pedigree already this term with a 5-1 hammering of Sunderland and victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (Newcastle 19/5 to beat Chelsea).

Chelsea continue to disappoint during this current slump, and have shown themselves to be brittle away from Stamford Bridge.

Birmingham proved that Carlo Anelotti’s can be beaten by the so-called lesser teams and MSK Zilina almost took a point from the Blues in Europe on Tuesday night and the Magpies will fancy their chances in this one, roared on by the vociferous Toon Army.

If you are looking for a potential shock north of the border then Inverness’ trip to Celtic (Caley Thistle 9/1 to win at Parkhead) could be the one to target.

The Bhoys have won just one of their last three SPL game and could only manage a 1-1 draw with Dundee United last time out.

Meanwhile, Caley go into the game with three straight top-flight victories, including two away from home, and they will be full of confidence of causing an upset, having won five times on their travels already this season.

Nottingham Forest are currently in the play-off zone while Leicester struggle for consistency in mid-table, but Sven Goran Eriksson’s men (21/10 to beat Forest) are tipped to shock the former European champions this weekend.

The Foxes have been solid at home this term while Forest are not the same outfit away from the City Ground and Leicester could overturn their east Midlands rivals in a low-scoring affair at the Walkers Stadium.

Crystal Palace may be languishing in the Championship relegation zone but do not rule out a victory over a Doncaster side just one place outside the play-off picture (Palace 13/8 to beat Doncaster).

The Londoners have won as many games at home as Doncaster and the hosts are tipped to beat a Rovers side who have already lost four times away from the Keepmoat this season.

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